Nearly everyone saw this coming. Even the tech financial analysts that were desperately trying to stay a little positive about RIM have thrown in the towel. Not good.

The two bozos at the top have crapped the bed big-time. Over and over again. I'm not impressed that they're only taking $1 a year salary now, because it's still $1 too much.

I really feel for the RIM employees. There are a lot of good people who work hard and support their families who are going to be hurt. RIM has been very generous to the community, research groups and Universities. I was hoping for a better outcome, but still am not surprised.

Maybe it's not about the demise but the correct prediction of a demise made many years ago. People tend to feel good when they are proven correct.

Not that anything is proof yet as Apple's market cap was below RiM's (though when you adjust for 15 years of inflation RiM is worse off) at one point and they pulled themselves up and out of the bog. I don't see how RiM won't be another Palm getting subsumed into another company like fetal resorption but I welcome such a comeback. People tend to feel good about underdog stories, too.

Well since I was one of those that made some bold predictions I believe more than a year ago, I would just like to say that,

a) on one hand I feel good because I really did bet (put) that they would go under this quarter or next;

b) I truly feel sorry for the many good and talented employees at RIM, because their futures are not looking rosy at all(!);

c) and I am EXSTATIC that those 2 fools at the top, and a number of upper-level managers that I had the unfortunate opportunity to meet... will be made to eat crow if I ever see them again!

I would say it's up to the "employees" to see what kind of "punishment" they should dole out.... but I for one would like to play Slapshot of the Hanson Bros. variety with those arrogant bozos I met a couple of years ago here in Germany!

c) and I am EXSTATIC that those 2 fools at the top, and a number of upper-level managers that I had the unfortunate opportunity to meet... will be made to eat crow if I ever see them again!

While it's easy to blame the "2 fools at the top", they're probably not completely to blame. Do we know if RIM engineering did design better products that were rejected by these two? Or do we just assume all product/design initiatives come from the CEOs? Somebody was asleep at the switch. Was it only these two?

While it's easy to blame the "2 fools at the top", they're probably not completely to blame. Do we know if RIM engineering did design better products that were rejected by these two? Or do we just assume all product/design initiatives come from the CEOs? Somebody was asleep at the switch. Was it only these two?

My best guess is that things turned out a lot like other tech companies I've seen. At the start, there was a small group of people who were highly talented, motivated, and could move quickly on new ideas and products. Then, over the years, the layers of management and organizational hierarchy grew to the point where new ideas had to go through so many people (each with their own agendas and biases) and processes that it became nearly impossible to act on anything except what was already out there and proven. At some point, the engineers probably just stopped bothering to fight it. And, by that point, the CEOs were so out of touch with the day to day workings of the company (lulled to sleep by the rhetoric of upper management) that they failed to notice what had happened.

In the past, I thought it was a good idea for HP and RIM to get together, and use WebOS on RIM's hardware. Recently however, I am beginning to wish Apple would just buy, and put RIM out of its misery, and take over RIM's secure corporate networks, ditch the playbook (maybe a 7 inch iPad out of the playbook) and have at least ONE smartphone, ala BB 9900 series, with iOS, and RIM's lovely keyboard. Yeah, its a stretch, but one can dream. (disclaimer, long time BB user in love with their keyboard, but switched to iPhone as my one device, after RIM's last developer conference was such a bust)

Dude, nothing in my post defends Rim, I do not care at all what happens to them. Just don't understand why you feel so good about it?

Not addressed to me, but hope you dont mind if I comment. I'm sure not happy about RIM falling apart, as I was a very very satisfied BB user till about a year or so ago. Loved the keyboard, email, even liked some of their apps. AND, contrary to a lot of folks, loved the design and form factor, not to mention the durability. However, I also upgraded my iPod touch a ways back, to an iPhone 4. The touch, and the iPhone 4 was so much better for browsing, and the apps were cleaner and faster than the same apps on the BB. When my company eventually approved a security system for the iPhone, I ditched my BB and went 100% iPhone (one phone bill now, which is nice). Rim's last developers conference did it for me. It was abysmal. No mention of phone upgrades at all, other than the "promise" BBX was going to be for their next phone OS too. Well, we knew that 6 months ago. No progress. THATS what is killing RIM. All talk and no progress, and I switched within a week of that developers conference. I think folks are more "gloating" over the terrible management, than happy with the demise of a once great company.

it used to be thiz was a verry insitful place.to get apple news. wtf has happened. we all get excited reading about a competitor to apple having issues? wow, too much for me. everyone here can take this childish fanboy attitude and enjoy it. ill be leaving to get news from more grown up sorces.

I think this piece of news should get RIM back on their feet and quicken their release of new products (revamp their OS, etc).

I love new technology and competition is always good. It forces every company to become better with each release. I am disappointed to hear that RIM is not doing well. Clearly they have not understood that Apple has set a benchmark for consumer satisfaction. I've used a BB Bold 9700 back in Jan 2010 together with a 3GS and quickly reverted to only the 3GS within a month. Simply because the 3GS does everything that I need and quicker. (Getting an app on the Blackberry felt sluggish. Not only that everything on the BB AppWorld felt limited. Especially when you started off with iOS.)

Of course, there are users that would argue that they love Blackberry still. However, the majority of the population in the world has shown that they love Android/iOS.

On a side note, I would love to give Nokia Windows 7 a go. If I wasn't so locked in to the Apple Ecosystem.

RIM is a technology oriented company rather than a consumer product company. Here's an interesting read on where their real value is.http://reut.rs/v0Jsui

Approaching Zero Fast? Sure, I guess they can sell their furniture and all that, though it's probably leased. They might make more money turning into a recruitment company r

Seriously though, if I were a shareholder, and actually kept my shares, I would ask for the entire RIM board and core management team be replaced entirely. Of course I'm naive and "don't know the real business world" I suppose, but RIM has had a good 3-year shot of making something happening while observing how the industry and users have evolved.